When training dogs, many friends simply interpret food stimulation as food reward. In fact, this is incomplete and inaccurate. The so-called food stimulation. It is the sum of the corresponding unconditioned and conditioned reflex stimulations in the dog's nervous system by means of reward, inducement and prohibition by the owner using the food that can satisfy his hunger (the dog's favorite food) in dog training. Specifically, food stimulation has the following three functions in dog training;

1. Food reward

Food reward. The owner is training the dog. It is a means to strengthen the correct actions of dogs due to conditioned stimuli by using the biological characteristics of the dog's unconditioned reflex towards food. To achieve the purpose of rewarding the dog and accelerating the establishment of the dog's conditioned reflex, for example, when training the dog to sit, the owner uses mechanical stimulation such as pulling the collar and pressing the waist angle while issuing the sit password. Even if the dog didn't understand the sitting command at the time, it had to sit down under the coercion of the owner. When the dog sat down, the owner immediately rewarded the dog with a compound to strengthen the dog's sit command and the role of mechanical stimulation. the correct action below. Due to the repeated use of passwords, mechanical stimulation, and food rewards in training, the dog quickly formed a conditioned reflex for the sit command. When using food rewards, one should pay attention to improving the dog's excitement intensity to the food reflex, generally It is more appropriate to use it in a hungry state before meals. For adult dogs, the method of restricting feeding can also be used to increase the dog's appetite for food. The reward food should be as small and palatable as possible. Second, attention should be paid to mechanical stimulation. Organically combined with timely and accurate food rewards, the dog can not only maintain the excitement of training, which is conducive to the establishment of conditioned reflexes, but also ensure the standard and accurate training actions; third, it should be used in combination with the good password , so that the dog can form a conditioned reflex to the good password, and play the same rewarding role as food, so as to gradually reduce or cancel the food reward in the later (complex condition) training; Fourth, the blind abuse of food reward should be prevented. It is necessary to distinguish different trainings and treat them separately to avoid bad connections due to improper use. For example, excessive use of food rewards during fetching training will often cause the dog to develop the bad habit of spitting out items and other rewards in advance without waiting for the trainer's password.

2. Food induction

Food induction means that the owner uses the conditioned reflex formed by the dog to the food during the dog training, and induces the dog to do it with the smell and shape of the food at a certain distance. A means of taking corresponding action. Food induction is generally used in the early stages of canine conditioning and is used in conjunction with mechanical stimuli. For example, when training the dog to come to the left side, because the owner uses too much mechanical stimulation such as pulling the leash and the collar, the dog tends to be inhibited. Some can't come back to their place quickly (even afraid) according to the master's password and gestures. At this time, the owner uses the method of food induction to induce the dog to come forward and move to the left, which often has a good effect on eliminating the dog's inhibition of the subject and the formation of the conditioned reflex. When using food induction, the owner should pay attention to the tease of the dog. Generally, the food should be put in the hand, and the dog should see or smell it first. When the dog has the desire to eat, then induce it to make corresponding actions. Under the induction of food, most dogs are in a state of active tendencies, which are generally more lively and natural, and are easy to form conditioned reflexes. Tan is also restricted by certain environment and conditions, and sometimes the movements made are not standard and inaccurate. Therefore, it should usually be used in combination with mechanical stimulation.

4. Food prohibition

Food prohibition is a means for the owner to induce and combine mechanical stimulation in dog training to make the dog inhibit food under certain conditions. For example, when the owner is correcting the dog's bad behavior of picking food anywhere, he intentionally puts the food on the side of the road. When the dog passes by, when the dog finds that the food is about to stutter, the commander immediately gives the 'NO' password and pulls it with the leash. Or beat the dog to stop the bad behavior of the dog picking food anywhere. In the food refusal training, the trainer's friend holds the food for the dog to eat. If the dog expresses desire to eat, he will immediately give severe mechanical stimulation, so that the dog will inhibit the food given by the trainer, so as to enhance the dog's ability to feed strangers. hostility, so as to achieve the effect of antifeeding. Food prohibition is a special form of food stimulation. When using, attention should be paid to the combination of mechanical stimulation and 'non' password. Even after the dog has formed a conditioned reflex to the password, the mechanical stimulation should still be combined uninterruptedly to avoid subsidence. It is necessary to be good at observing the dog's expression and timely find out that the dog picks food anywhere or greedily eats food given by strangers, and gives severe tree mechanical stimulation when the dog exhibits bad initial behavior (the stimulation intensity should be treated according to the characteristics of the dog). When the behavior is stopped, the owner should immediately reward the pet (do not use food reward) to ease the dog's nervous state.

Food stimulation is one of the most common and most common training methods used by owners in dog training. It has both the properties of unconditioned stimulation and conditional responses to the dog's nervous system. The properties of the stimulus can produce both excitatory stimuli and inhibitory stimuli, and the correct use of food stimuli is conducive to improving the dog's attachment to the owner, relieving the dog's passive defense state caused by mechanical stimulation, and accelerating the dog's conditioned reflex. Establish. If it is used improperly, not only will it not get a good training effect, but it will also cause the dog to have some bad connections.

In summary, it is not difficult to find that food stimuli play the roles of reward, inducement and prohibition in training.